In 2002, Johnny Cash covered "Hurt" to commercial and critical acclaim. The related music video is considered one of the greatest of all time by publications such as NME. When Reznor was asked if Cash could cover his song, Reznor said he was "flattered" but worried that "the idea sounded a bit gimmicky." He became a fan of Cash's version, however, once he saw the music video:
"A few weeks later, a CD shows up with the track. Again, I'm in the middle of something and put it on and give it a cursory listen. It sounded... weird to me. That song in particular was straight from my soul, and it felt very strange hearing the highly identifiable voice of Johnny Cash singing it. It was a good version, and I certainly wasn't cringing or anything, but it felt like I was watching my girlfriend fuck somebody else. Or something like that. Anyway, a few weeks later, a videotape shows up with Mark Romanek's video on it. It's morning; I'm in the studio in New Orleans working on Zack De La Rocha's record with him; I pop the video in, and... wow. Tears welling, silence, goose-bumps... Wow. I just lost my girlfriend, because that song isn't mine anymore. Then it all made sense to me. It really made me think about how powerful music is as a medium and art form. I wrote some words and music in my bedroom as a way of staying sane, about a bleak and desperate place I was in, totally isolated and alone. Some-fucking-how that winds up reinterpreted by a music legend from a radically different era/genre and still retains sincerity and meaning – different, but every bit as pure. Things felt even stranger when he passed away. The song's purpose shifted again. It's incredibly flattering as a writer to have your song chosen by someone who's a great writer and a great artist."
The idea of the narrator being or feeling "a million miles away," as sung at the end of this song, would be mentioned again in both "All The Love In The World" and "1,000,000." Whether the three songs are all specifically related beyond repetition of the phrase is publicly unverified.
The song was sampled by rap collective Westside Connection in 1997 on its track "The Gangsta, The Killa and The Dope Dealer".
The song was featured on an episode of the Song Exploder series from Netflix. In it, Reznor stated that the song was written as an afterthought, that it was originally demoed on piano, and that the vocal was sung quietly and intimately in order to ensure that it sounded sincere. It was also revealed that the wind noise that runs through the track was created by a noise-generating machine that is used to tune mixing rooms.
There was also an explanation of how the organ-esque sound that appears in each pre-chorus was created: "We'd come up with a trick where we could take a note on whatever instrument it is, and that sounds like strings, violin, but I'm not sure it was that. Feed it for a second into an infinite reverb, and it gets locked into a tune. It sounds almost pipe-organ-y a little bit because it's not coming out of a synthesizer, it's not quite in-tune, it's not quite bright, it feels human."
The original album version uses slightly distorted guitars and disrupted noise loops, adding a ragged aesthetic. The song suddenly climaxes towards the end, while the final lyrics are whispered over the noise. A drone follows, and ends the song and the record. This version was also featured as the final track on its promo, which also includes a clean version of the same mix. The "gong" sound near the end is also used on "Reptile", but the pitch is changed. A reversed version of the track is hidden on side B of the Not The Actual Events vinyl.
Hurt
Nine Inch Nails Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To see if I still feel
I focus on the pain
The only thing that's real
The needle tears a hole
The old familiar sting
Try to kill it all away
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
I wear this crown of shit
Upon my liars chair
Full of broken thoughts
I cannot repair
Beneath the stains of time
The feelings disappear
You are someone else
I am still right here
What have I become
My sweetest friend
Everyone I know
Goes away in the end
And you could have it all
My empire of dirt
I will let you down
I will make you hurt
If I could start again
A million miles away
I will keep myself
I would find a way
The song "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails is a slow, melancholic reflection on feelings of pain and disconnection. The lyrics describe the act of hurting oneself as a way to test whether or not they can still feel emotions, and the realization that the only thing that seems real is the pain. The mention of a needle tearing a hole and the familiar sting suggest drug use, perhaps as a form of self-medication for the pain. The line "But I remember everything" implies that the pain still lingers, even after trying to escape it.
The chorus shifts to a more introspective tone, with the singer questioning what they have become and lamenting the fact that everyone they know eventually fades away. The offer to give away their "empire of dirt" suggests a sense of futility and a desire to let go of their worldly possessions. The admission that they will let down and make their friend hurt reinforces the feeling of disconnection and suggests that the singer sees themselves as a burden to others.
The second verse continues the theme of brokenness and the inability to fix oneself. The "crown of shit" suggests a sense of self-loathing and the fact that it is placed upon a "liar's chair" implies guilt over something that has been done. The idea that feelings disappear beneath the stains of time reinforces the theme of emotional numbness and the inability to fully connect with others.
Overall, "Hurt" is a powerful examination of pain, regret, and disconnection. The lyrics suggest a sense of hopelessness and the desire to escape from the pain, even as it lingers beneath the surface.
Line by Line Meaning
I hurt myself today
I self-harmed to test whether or not I can still feel anything
To see if I still feel
I wanted to know if I am still capable of sensing pain
I focus on the pain
I dwell on the agony I encounter as it is the only tangible thing in my life
The only thing that's real
In my current state, pain is the only sensation that presents me with a sense of reality
The needle tears a hole
The syringe punctures my skin, creating a tear
The old familiar sting
I'm familiar with the pain of the injection
Try to kill it all away
I try to forget the pain by any means necessary
But I remember everything
Despite my attempts to forget, I still recall each and every event.
What have I become
I am grappling with my identity due to the actions I have taken and the consequences they have brought with them
My sweetest friend
I am addressing my heroin addiction which has become my closest ally
Everyone I know
All the people who were once in my life
Goes away in the end
Have subsequently departed from it
And you could have it all
I have attained everything I desired
My empire of dirt
But everything I possess is worth nothing, and it fades away like dirt
I will let you down
I am destined to disappoint you
I will make you hurt
I will cause you pain
I wear this crown of shit
I am the king of the filth and worthless things
Upon my liar's chair
I reside at the head of the table of those who deceive and mislead others
Full of broken thoughts
My mind is currently experiencing chaos and confusion
I cannot repair
I am incapable of solving the problem within my thoughts
Beneath the stains of time
The time that has passed has left its mark on everything
The feelings disappear
The emotions are vanishing
You are someone else
The person who I previously knew has undergone some significant transformation.
I am still right here
Even though time has moved things forward, I'm still present here
If I could start again
If I could have a fresh start
A million miles away
Far removed from my current situation
I will keep myself
I will preserve my true self
I would find a way
I would make amends and find a way to start anew
Lyrics © CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, O/B/O DistroKid, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Trent Reznor
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
SabrinaOnlineFan96
This is the most depressing song ever. I listened to this a lot back in November-December 2022.